B&w 602s3 or DM7???

[ac81017]

I have the chance to obtain a pair of b&w dm7 for silly money, I can´t really test which I know sounds silly! A friend of a friend has a pair which have to be transported a long, but they are mine if I want!! SOOO, the I´m thinking of selling my 602s3 cheap to fund the dm7, is this a good move???

:T

William

[Russ L]

I have the chance to obtain a pair of b&w dm7 for silly money, I can´t really test which I know sounds silly! A friend of a friend has a pair which have to be transported a long, but they are mine if I want!! SOOO, the I´m thinking of selling my 602s3 cheap to fund the dm7, is this a good move???

:T

William

Bad move and a big step down in sound quality

[PewterTA]

I think the 602s S3s were the "hidden gem" of the B&Ws lower lines (everything under the 800 series). They sound amazing especially for the price!!!

If you do my simple soldering mod on them, they sound even better!!! That would easily make up for any desire to get rid of them!

[ac81017]

Bad move and a big step down in sound quality

Are they really that bad?? I´ve just found an article on the net, and they were top of the range of there time. I´ve decided to go for vintage speakers for a year or two until I get the money for something better. My choice is between Tandberg 5020 or B&W dm7! I don´t like the harsh metal tweeter on my 602s3´s!!

[Russ L]

Are they really that bad?? I´ve just found an article on the net, and they were top of the range of there time. I´ve decided to go for vintage speakers for a year or two until I get the money for something better. My choice is between Tandberg 5020 or B&W dm7! I don´t like the harsh metal tweeter on my 602s3´s!!

William,
I've never heard the DMs but theoretically the 602s have far superior construction. I have a pair of 602s in my home theater system and have used them in the past for dedicated 2 channel listening. I never found the tweeter harsh at all. The drivers, crossovers and box construction etc. should be superior to the 30 year old DMs. So for harshness it could be your related equipment...? Are you powering the 602s with a receiver, a poor quality digital source, worn stylus, using cheap cables etc.( and the list goes on!) that could cause harshness. A power conditioner can also clear up harshness by isolating components from each other. Resolution is the word that comes to mind when describing the tweeter. But your personal tastes are what matters. The only advantage I can see is that the DM7s have the tweeter on top. The DM7s had the first version of the tweeter on top. However being mounted on a flat surface doesn't help the timing between tweeter and mid.



In your OP I thought said you were unable to audition the DMs? If you think they sound better side by side then the issue is settled. I would only worry about the rubber driver surrounds drying out after 30 years... Regards, Russ

[Taineasy]

A step down! Are you mad? The DM 7 is a far superior speaker to the 603 and rivals the performance of the 800 series. My son has the 603s and we have A/B'd them on many occasions with the same results. The true gem of the B&W line. You would have to spend at least $3000-$4000 on modern speakers to match the DM7s. As long as you have a quality amp of 100-200 watts rms at 8 ohms, correct room placement and add - 1/2 ounce of weight to the back of each passive you have audio nirvana.

[dan87951]

I think the 602s S3s were the "hidden gem" of the B&Ws lower lines (everything under the 800 series). They sound amazing especially for the price!!!

If you do my simple soldering mod on them, they sound even better!!! That would easily make up for any desire to get rid of them!

I couldn't agree more with this statement! The 602 S3's are legendary in my book! The bigger 7" driver and much bigger cabinet made it almost unnecessary to even need a sub for some applications (depending on room size). These speakers had plenty of bass and sounded extremely good in their time! I remember back in the day when me and a buddy did a side by side comparison between a set of CDM1NT's and 602's. We both preferred the 602 as it was a much better all around speaker. Noticed how I used the term "better speaker all around" when compared to the CDM1NT, which means it just didn't excel in one area.